Searching the
Chemical Literature
What types of information are
in the literature?
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Physical constants
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Melting point, boiling point, flash point, density, solubility
data, toxicity data, refractive index.
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Synthesis pathways
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Experimental procedures
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Spectroscopy data
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FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS, UV-VIS
Background for research
Where search?
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Google?
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Reference books
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Merck Index
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CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
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March
The Merck Index
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The Merck Index is a one-volume
encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs and
biologicals that contains more than 10,000
monographs. Each monograph in this
authoritative reference source is a concise
description of a single substance or a small
group of closely related compounds.
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Since it was first published in 1889, The
Merck Index has become the standard
reference for chemists, biochemists,
pharmacologists, pharmacists, and related
professionals.
The Merck Index
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Compounds included:
human and veterinary drugs
biotech drugs and monoclonal antibodies
substances used for medical imaging
biologicals and natural products
plants and herbal medicines
nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals
agricultural chemicals
industrial chemicals
laboratory reagents and catalysts
dyes, colors and indicators
environmentally significant substances
The Merck Index
Information provided:
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chemical, common and generic names
trademarks and associated companies
CAS Registry Numbers
chemical structures
molecular formulae, weights and percentage
composition
capsule statements identifying compound
classes and scientific significance
The Merck Index
Information provided continued:
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scientific and patent literature references
physical and toxicity data
therapeutic and commercial uses
caution and hazard information
In addition, there are Name, Formula, CAS Registry
Number, and Therapeutic Category and Biological
Activity indices. The collection of supplementary
tables contains physical, chemical and biomedical
data and listings of pharmaceutical company names,
locations and experimental drug codes. The Organic
Name Reactions section contains over 400 reactions
featuring descriptions, literature references and
graphical depictions.
The Merck
Index,
9th ed.
The Merck
Index,
9th ed.
The Merck
Index,
9th ed.
The
Merck
Index,
9th ed.
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and
Physics
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The Table of Physical Constants for Organic
Compounds:
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Listed in alphabetical order by parent name.
For 2-phenylethanol
Ethanol
-2-phenyl
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and
Physics

The Table of Physical Constants for Organic
Compounds:
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Boiling points:
254760, 12434
CRC Handbook
of Chemistry
and Physics,
1st student
edition
CRC Handbook
of Chemistry
and Physics,
1st student
edition
March's Advanced Organic
Chemistry: Reactions,
Mechanisms, and Structure ,
6th ed.
March,
4th ed.
March,
4th ed.
Other sources….
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Chemical Abstracts, Beilstein
SciFinder
Journal articles/Databases
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ACS Publications
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Chemical and Engineering News
GALILEO (Current Contents: JACS, JOC)
JStor (Science)
Primary = original
Secondary = reviews, accounts
Chemfinder
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May need to register yourself (free) to install plug-ins
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ChemFinder
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search using name, CAS number, molecular formula, MW
ChemACX Net
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search using name or CAS number, or Advanced Query for
substructure or exact structure
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Organic Synthesis
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10 collective volumes, search using substructure, reaction,
keyword, name, CAS number, or volume
Spectroscopy websites
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National Institute of Standards and Technology
Chemistry WebBook
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Mass Spectrometry and Infrared Spectroscopy data,
thermochemical data, and much, much more.
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Spectral Data Base System for Organic Compounds
(SDBS)
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Huge searchable database of spectra, including IR, NMR,
and MS.
Safety Information
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Vermont SIRI MSDS Collection
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Provides access to Material Safety Data Sheets
directly from chemical manufacturers and from an
online database. Chemical Toxicity reports can
also be found at this site.